Today, operating resources account for as much as a third of a sales dollar in the typical Fortune 1000 company. Nearly 95 percent of all goods and services purchased by corporations are done so through paper-based processes. Predominant use of paper-based buying is evidence that legacy business-to-business electronic commerce systems do not provide a solution for the bulk of corporate buying processes. Research indicates that a cost savings of 5 percent in operating resource goods and services cost will commonly result in a 28 percent increase in a company's profits.
Traditionally, methods of purchasing operating sources (e.g., industrial supplies, office supplies and other non-production supplies) are extremely fragmented and, thus, inefficient. What is desired is an integrated, enterprise-wide solution.